The present application relates generally to photography and more particularly to an improved digital camera and method that provides a desirable motion blur effect.
When shooting action scenes, such as sports, photographers make an artistic decision regarding shutter speed. A fast shutter speed can freeze the action in clear, sharp detail. A slower shutter speed will show some “motion blur” for the faster moving objects or people in the scene. Sometimes the photographer chooses a shutter speed such that the fast-moving objects (e.g. ball, baseball bat, arm throwing a ball, etc) are somewhat blurred, but the relatively stationary objects (including the subject's face) are sharp. A properly chosen shutter speed can provide a sense of the motion in the scene while still providing sharp detail for most of the scene.
Additionally, with the use of a flash, there are additional options for the action photographer. By choosing a shutter speed long enough to show some motion blur and by setting the flash to occur at the end of the duration in which the shutter is open (sometimes known as “rear-curtain sync” or “second curtain sync”), the photo can have motion blur that appears to trail a fairly clear image of the object in motion.